C5-C6 surgery, typically Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) or Disc Replacement, is highly successful, with studies showing 85% to over 90% of patients experience significant relief from pain and improved function, especially arm pain, with long-term benefits often maintained. While weakness and numbness can improve, they sometimes linger or resolve more slowly than pain, but overall satisfaction is very high, allowing many to return to normal activities.
Barnett recommends surgery only when other options have failed to provide relief or if the patient has significant neurologic deficits. This often means that non-surgical treatment paths, such as physical therapy or steroidal injections, have failed to restore the patient's quality of life.
Success Rate of Surgery
The success rate for cervical spine procedures at the C5-C7 levels is typically high. Study results range from 80% to 90% for symptom alleviation and function improvement. Success usually means less pain, neurological problems, and a better quality of life.
Your Recovery
This should improve in the weeks after surgery. You may have trouble sitting or standing in one position for very long. You may need to wear a neck brace for a while. Most people can go back to work after 4 to 6 weeks.
A bulging disc at the C5-C6 level can cause neck pain, radiating discomfort in the shoulders and arms, and neurological symptoms like tingling or numbness. While many cases improve with non-surgical treatments, persistent or severe symptoms may require spine surgery.
Neck surgery carries general surgical risks, including infection, bleeding, and adverse reactions to anesthesia, though these complications remain relatively rare. The intricate nature of neck anatomy also introduces the risk of nerve damage, potentially resulting in ongoing pain, weakness, or numbness post-surgery.
Spinal fusion surgery is often considered one of the most difficult orthopedic surgeries to recover from. This procedure involves fusing two or more vertebrae in the spine to eliminate painful motion caused by instability, degenerative disc disease, or other spinal conditions.
IT IS NORMAL FOR YOUR NECK PAIN TO GET WORSE FOR 3-5 DAYS AFTER SURGERY. PLEASE TAKE YOUR MEDICATIONS AS INSTRUCTED DURING THIS TIME.
A c5-c6 herniated disc can affect the nerves that control the muscles in the arms, neck, shoulders, hands as well as the head, eyes, ears, or thyroid gland. Symptoms in these areas in addition to pain in the neck are very common with c5-c6 disc herniations.
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery involves removing the C5-C6 intervertebral disc to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or C6 nerve root. The disc is replaced by an implant or bone graft, allowing biological fusion of the adjacent C5 and C6 vertebrae.
The actual incision site is not particularly painful, as unlike low back surgeries, there is not much splitting of muscle during the surgery. However, you will almost certainly have a sore throat, which sometimes can be quite painful! It may feel like you have strep throat.
Most C5-C6 disc bulge treatment plans start with non-surgical approaches such as physiotherapy, posture correction, and targeted exercises. However, surgery may be considered if: Severe weakness or sensory loss progresses despite conservative care. MRI shows significant spinal cord compression (myelopathy)
Things You Can Never Do After Spinal Fusion
However, you should avoid powerlifting exercises or any activities that put extreme stress on your spine. You must also limit certain physical jobs that involve heavy lifting, repetitive lifting, twisting, or bending your lower back.
Lumbar fusion surgery is a common procedure for treating chronic back pain. It's used for degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, or spinal stenosis. While it can be effective, lumbar surgery regret rates range from 8% to 40% depending on the study and patient population.
You may not even know that you have a compressed nerve in your cervical spine until you're experiencing symptoms like numbness, tingling sensations, and muscle weakness. If your pinched nerve doesn't respond to physical therapy and rest, neck surgery may be the next option.
Here are some recommended positions:
Symptoms may occur on one or both sides of the body. An injury to the spinal cord at the C5-C6 level may cause pain, weakness, or paralysis in the arms and/or legs.
The idea of nerve compression from cervical spine instability causes blurry vision. Blurred vision, blind spots, water eyes, and difficulty focusing are very common eye complaints that many people are not aware are from cervical instability.
Each case is different and will depend on important patient/condition variables such as patient age and overall health, condition severity, and causation, common symptoms of C5-C6 disc issues is a dull ache, or a sharp pain, that is most intensely felt in the back of the neck.
The area for surgery is often marked to make sure there are no errors. You will be kept comfortable and safe by your anesthesia provider. You will be asleep during the surgery. The surgery usually takes 2 to 4 hours.
Complications during routine neck surgery are rare, and a study shows the most serious—death—is virtually nonexistent. Every surgical procedure carries a risk of complications.
Since the cervical vertebrae are closely connected to the nerves that run through the shoulders and arms, any disruption in this area can lead to discomfort. This pain may also stem from muscle strain, as the surrounding muscles adjust to the new disc placement and the healing process.
The medical name for the procedure is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) or CRS/HIPEC.
Orthopedic surgeries, such as *knee replacement, hip replacement, and spinal fusion*, are widely considered among the *most painful surgeries*. These procedures involve the manipulation, repair, or replacement of bones and joints.
These techniques cause less damage to muscles and tissues. MISS often leads to shorter recovery times and reduced pain after surgery. Microdiscectomy usually takes 1 to 1.5 hours using these techniques. Laminectomy can take between 1 and 3 hours, while spinal fusion may last about 2 to 6 hours.